After Daniel Andrews and Labor’s decisive victory in the Victorian state election at the weekend, there has been – not unexpectedly – a welter of post-election opinion trying to account for the rather…

The trigger for independent MP Geoff Shaw’s potential expulsion from Victorian parliament seems to be the apparent insincerity of his comments on his apology.
AAP/Joe Castro
September 3, 2014

Victorian premier Denis Napthine has tabled a motion that would expel independent MP Geoff Shaw from parliament merely for the apparent insincerity of his apology rather than his reprehensible misuse of…

The Geoff Shaw affair has been an unwanted distraction for the Napthine government, which will be hoping for some clear air between now and the November 29 election.
AAP/Julian Smith
June 12, 2014

After months of uncertainty, it appears that the Victorian parliament may have resolved the political crisis that had threatened to consume the government. The passing last night of a motion to suspend…

Geoff Shaw’s potential expulsion from Victorian parliament raises serious questions about the scope of the Legislative Assembly’s powers and the way they are exercised.
AAP/David Crosling
June 5, 2014

Independent MP Geoff Shaw should be grateful the opposition is only proposing to expel him from Victorian state parliament. It could be worse. Victoria’s Legislative Assembly still has the power to lock…

Unless Victorian opposition leader Daniel Andrews accepts Geoff Shaw’s vote, there will be no progress on anything in the state’s political crisis.
AAP/Julian Smith
June 4, 2014

After a night of political uncertainty, the Victorian Labor opposition has indicated it will move to have ex-Liberal MP Geoff Shaw expelled from parliament instead of accepting his offer of support for…

Whatever course Victorian premier Denis Napthine chooses, he has effectively lost control of the government.
AAP/Julian Smith
June 4, 2014

The political crisis confronting the Victorian parliament is both curious and concerning. Since Denis Napthine took over as Victorian premier 15 months ago, the issue has steadily developed into an entirely…

Victorian premier Denis Napthine accused the opposition of ‘hijacking democracy’ after an extraordinary week in Victorian state politics. What now?
AAP/Julian Smith
November 15, 2013

Speaker Ken Smith has lost control of the Victorian parliament and the legislative agenda of premier Denis Napthine has ground to a halt. In an extraordinary move, Smith decided to shut down the Legislative…

Former Victoria Police commissioner Simon Overland’s controversial exit from his role has come to haunt the Liberal-led Victorian coalition government in the wake of Ted Baillieu’s resignation as premier.
Julian Smith/AAP
March 7, 2013

The surprise at the speed of yesterday’s political events in Victoria, culminating in the Premier’s resignation, was neatly encapsulated by investigative journalist Melissa Fyfe on Twitter: “You go for…